Smoking cessation now a benefit in Commonwealth Care plans

Smokers looking to kick the habit that purchase health coverage through Commonwealth Care will now have smoking cessation programs paid for by their health insurance plan.

Commonwealth Care, the state’s subsidized health insurance option for lower-income residents, began offering smoking cessation programs and drugs as a benefit on July 1, and plans to begin marketing it to customers this fall, according to a spokesman.

Colleen Quinn

Smokers looking to kick the habit that purchase health coverage through Commonwealth Care will now have smoking cessation programs paid for by their health insurance plan.

Commonwealth Care, the state’s subsidized health insurance option for lower-income residents, began offering smoking cessation programs and drugs as a benefit on July 1, and plans to begin marketing it to customers this fall, according to a spokesman.

The new benefit comes online as lawmakers have begun pushing forward legislation that would mandate Commonwealth Care cover the costs of smoking cessation programs, including nicotine replacement, prescription medications, and other “evidence-based pharmacologic aids to quit smoking,” and counseling by a physician, certified tobacco use cessation counselor or other qualified clinician.
The bill (S 2121), sponsored by Sen. Richard Moore (D-Uxbridge), was given initial approval in the House this week, and passed in the Senate on July 26. Moore successfully added an amendment to the legislation “encouraging” the Group Insurance Commission, which provides health insurance coverage to state employees and retirees as well as some municipal workers, to offer coverage, but it does not mandate the GIC offer it.
Officials at Commonwealth Care were already “on the same page” and decided to start offering coverage this summer, according to Richard Powers, a spokesman at the Commonwealth Health Connector. Many private health insurance carriers offer coverage for smoking cessation.

“People who smoke don’t even want to smoke,” Powers said. “All the help we can give them, it is good for the individual and it is better for the state to have a healthier population.”
Money to start covering smoking cessation programs was originally included in the state budget for fiscal year 2013, but was dropped during the conference committee process, according to Moore. Gov. Deval Patrick also recommended funding for smoking cessation coverage in his budget proposal.
Since MassHealth started covering smoking cessation programs smoking rates among recipients dropped 26 percent within a two year period, according to Moore. Approximately 75,000 MassHealth members used some type of smoking cessation tool.

Cases of heart attacks and strokes among MassHealth recipients also dropped significantly by an estimated 46 percent, Moore said.

“That is just cardiovascular diseases. We know this will also reduce the instances of lung cancer,” he said. “We would anticipate a pretty big reduction on lung cancer in the future.”

The estimated cost for launching coverage in Commonwealth Care across five different health plans is $2 million, according to Moore.

Any money spent would be offset by future health care savings, Moore said. A study done by the Division of Health Care Finance and Policy estimated for every dollar spent on smoking cessation, the state would save a $1.50. Over five years, the state could save approximately $10 million in reduced health care costs, Moore said.

Rep. Jonathan Hecht (D-Watertown), who has advocated for smoking cessation coverage in the House, said it makes financial sense for the state, particularly at a time when state officials struggle to control health care costs.

“The cost savings that come within a few years are much greater than the cost of providing the benefit,” he said.
Anti-smoking groups called the new coverage option a victory for all Massachusetts citizens.

Stephen Shestakofsky, executive director of Tobacco Free Massachusetts, said most smokers are unable to quit on their own without any help. A recent Centers for Disease Control report stated two-thirds of all smokers desire to quit, Shestakofsky said.

“If we can help people who want to quit by giving them the resources to do it, it becomes a win for everyone,” Shestakofsky said.

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